October 5, 2011

UPTE spends about 14% of your dues money for lobbying politicians, political advocacy and special benefits. Do you want any of what you pay to UPTE spent to support politicians? I wouldn't send a nickel of what I pay to UPTE to support either the Democrats or Republicans. That's why I get money back from the union. You can raise your voice against this and get back your "Fair Share" of your money returned to you

UPTE is in the process of sending out checks to all those who have not joined the union or quit and have sent their annual objection letter for the 2011-2012 period. About 700 UPTE represented UC employees are receiving these checks, the total payout from UPTE will be about $50,000. I got a check for a little over $42 and I'm due another $40 or so by the end of next June.

All of us who get this partial refund of our dues/fees receive the same raises and benefits called for in the union contract. Don't be foolish and pay the union about $80 extra when they have to give you the refund if you ask for it. If you don't send the union a letter requesting the refund, the union will just keep the extra $80. The union does not advertise this but why should they?

If you don't ask for it, the union gets about $880,000 more than they can take from you (about 11,000 represented people times $80 each). $80 is enough to fill up most gas tanks twice, buys 10 pounds of steak and pays for about a month of water or electric bills for most people. Even if you're not struggling financially, why on earth would you want any of your money used to support politicians?

You do have to send your letter in the proper format, send it at the right time and meet all the legal terms and conditions that the union puts out in fine print. But you don't have to be a lawyer to figure out what you have to do. I've helped thousands of people get back their money from the union. This is what I do. I don't charge money for this.

Why do I do this? I learned about ten years ago that the union can charge you money used to support political causes that have nothing to do with your raises or benefits. I also learned that you can object to paying for this and that the union must refund you any portion of the money that is used for these and other purposes that have nothing to do with getting you raises or benefits. Finally, I learned how to get that part of the money back. At first it was just me and a couple of friends that I work with at UCSD. Word of this has spread across the UC system and now we have people at every campus and LBNL who get back money from the union. Contact me at wwitke@san.rr.com if you want to learn more or have any questions.

Some people have told me that the union tells them that they will "forfeit membership benefits and rights" if they ask for the refund. It's a joke at best and a scare tactic at worst. You can't run for union president or any other union office if you are not a member. I never planned on running for union president, I'd rather have $80. But you can give the union $80 and run for union president if you are a member. You can't vote in union elections if you are not a member and if you've never voted in these elections, why pay $80 not to vote. You don't forfeit your right to raises, benefits such as vacation time, health benefits and any other benefit called for under the contract.

Will you get a 15% raise from the UPTE TX/RX contract? This is what UPTE claims on their web page http://www.upte.org/publication-99/index.html. "In the current year of UPTE-CWA's contact, 3% of the approximate 5% annual pay increase is guaranteed, with the additional 2% going to those whose performance is evaluated as at least "satisfactory." The agreement provides up to 15% in pay increases over three years." This is for the period 2010 to 2013, but as I recall there was no raise for 2009. Look at your paycheck, what percentage increase do you find in your take home pay since 2009? Perhaps you may even remember to look at your net take home pay on your paycheck at the end of 2013 to see if the UPTE claim of a 15% raise is true.

Werner